ED-MEDIA 1999 Proceedings Book - Association for the ...

order to meet new challenges and sustain an inhabitable global environment, we need to dramatically improve
education at all levels in the environmental sciences. Therefore, there is a need for new tools to support
complex learning in this domain. Our approach is based on analysis of previous research on designing ILEs
for complex learning (Arias et al., 1997; Enkenberg, 1995; Eden et al., 1996; Forrester, 1994; Spector, &
Davidsen, 1997a) and differs from these in three major aspects:
• It assumes that the integration of constructionism and systems dynamics is a powerful combination for the
design of a new kind of complex task environment for simulating and thinking about real-life phenomena.
• It focuses on the significance and attainability of authenticity in learning scenarios.
• It supports that the design of ILEs for lifelong learning cannot be investigated in isolation by looking just
at one small part of it, such as K-12 education, University education, or designers.
This work has been developed in conjunction with the Kreate-IT (Creativity, Technology and IT at elementary
schools) project carried out by the Institute for Media Technology. This project aims at creating an ILE that
fosters learning based on ideas of apprenticeship (Lave & Wenger, 1991), and at developing a set of tools to
facilitate the understanding of complex phenomena among young learners. In our view the methods of
cognitive apprenticeship learning are useful in a wider context in examining and learning about complex
phenomena. Since September 1997, we have been working in the Kreate-IT project together with three schools
at the municipality of Vetlanda, Sweden. Target population of the project are students of the ages of 12 to 13.
The ecological and environmental topics and the technological tools are chosen to fit the students' level and
field of interest.
The technological tools that are suggested to the students are: the Lego-Dacta Control-Lab, the Lego-Dacta
Robotics System and the ROBOLAB programming language. The heart of the system is the RCX or
programmable brick (Resnick et al., 1998), an autonomous LEGO microcomputer that can be programmed
using a PC. This device uses sensors to take input from its environment, to process data, and to control signals
and devices involved in different processes. ROBOLAB is the software for controlling the RCX and is based
on LAB VIEW . This powerful, real-life professional software is made accessible for young learners since
ROBOLAB uses a user interface that is appropriate for children.
Since our domain of interest is related to complex phenomena in environmental sciences, we have developed a
computer controlled greenhouse by utilizing the learning tools described above. This technological
environment provides an experimental arena for learning in and about complex systems. In particular, we
believe that children, by playing, building and programming with these learning materials, can gain a deeper
understanding of how dynamic systems behave. Three major principles for the design of educational
environments based on Vygotsky's (Nardi, 1996) and Papert's (1993) work have been applied in our
development:
• Authentic activities: Children should have access to, and participate in, similar cultural activities to those
of adults and should be using age-appropriate tools and artifacts modeled on those used by adults,
• Construction: Children should be constructing artifacts and sharing them with their community,
• Collaboration: Educational environments should involve collaboration between experts and students and
between individual learners and fellow learners.
According to Resnick (1998) these new kind of learning material enable children to explore a new set of
concepts (in particular, "systems concepts" such as feedback and emergence) that have previously been
considered "too advanced" for children to learn. Our primary goal in this project is not to help young learners
accomplish some task faster or more effectively, but rather to engage them in new ways of thinking and
learning about complex domains, in particular those concerning environmental sciences. We are conducting
more in-depth empirical studies, by means of observations and interviews, of how and what children learn
through their interactions with this learning environment. These issues are being evaluated through smallscale
cases. We will compare results and experiences across these cases. The evaluation is qualitative and it
has been carried out through the entire project. Furthermore, we are exploring the use of system dynamics to